Helping people with the cost of living

Since taking office, our Government has worked hard to lift incomes and make life more affordable for Kiwi families.

Now, as we move forward with our plan to grow a secure economy for all, we are providing further cost of living support for people across the country.

Our new Cost of Living Payment started this week and will support more than 2 million New Zealanders, including more than 45,000 in Dunedin.

You will likely be eligible if you earned $70,000 or less over the period April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, and are aged 18 or older, but aren’t eligible for the Winter Energy Payment.

There is nothing you need to do to apply for the payment, and the income threshold is based on your individual income, not household income.

If you are eligible, you will receive the payments directly from IRD.

However, IRD does need your correct information, so please take a few minutes to make sure that everything is up to date.

You can visit IRD’s website for more details: ird.govt.nz/cost-of-living-payment.

This new Cost of Living Payment sits alongside our Winter Energy Payment, and, when taken together, these payments will support 81% of New Zealanders aged 18 and over with their bills this year.

To fight global inflation and help to ease the pressure on families here in Dunedin, we recently extended the fuel tax cut, reduced road user charges and half price public transport for everyone until the end of January next year.

This will also help reduce the fuel burden on businesses, keeping the cost of food and essential goods lower across the board.

I am proud to be steering the Government’s work on the supermarket sector and increasing competition, to make sure Kiwis pay a fair price at the till.

This includes calling on the supermarkets to open up wholesale access for their competitors, at a fair price – or we will do it for them through law.

By opening up supermarket’s stockrooms, it will be easier for new competitors to enter the grocery market, and ensure fairer prices.

There is no easy fix to the current cost of living pressures, but the measures we are putting in place will make a difference for people across the country.

As we take the next steps in our plan, we will continue to grow a strong economy that gives security to New Zealanders in good times and in bad.